Difference Between Hay and Grass

Especially to those persons who don’t see hay too often, they really can’t discern the plant from basic grass. Sometimes, they just regard it as grass that seemed to have overgrown. But actually, they are closely related to one another. And the previous statement can hold some tinge of truth with it.

Hay is a grass or can be a form of grass. When referring to it as a form of grass, it is a cut grass that has been cut then dried for the purpose of becoming an animal feed or food. If it’s still not to be used as food, then it can readily be stored some place else. Hay is a common food commodity for livestock owners who raise horses, cattle, sheep and goats. Moreover, it can be fed to rabbits, as well as, guinea pigs.

Hay has become the standard livestock food for herbivores whenever the extreme seasons of summer and winter arrive. It will be during these occasions that grass and green pastures aren’t advisable for animal grazing. Hence, hay can still do the trick of supplying the livestock with the necessary nutrients needed for survival. Similarly, animals confined at stables or barns make use of hay more often than freely roaming livestock.

Moreover, hay can also refer to a mixture of different species of grasses. The most common mixture of hay can include grasses like Bermuda, timothy, orchard grass, brome, fescue and other grasses endemic within a particular region. In some other instances, oat, wheat and barley are cut when they’re still green so that they can be made into hay. Although these plant materials can better be utilized as straw.

Grasses, on the contrary, are termed graminoids plants. They are characterized as herbs having narrow leaves that grow from its base. It is actually a more general term that can refer to a group of plants. Under grasses, there are many other subtypes that include: true grasses, sedges and rushes.

Overall, although both grass and hay are close relatives, they still differ in the following aspects:

1. Hay is a specific type of grass or a mixture of different cut grass clumped altogether compared to the basic grass plant, which is a more general term in itself.

2. Hay is basically an ideal plant as food for livestock but not all grasses can become food for these types of animals.

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Written by : Julita.
and updated on May 16, 2010

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